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*LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL*
_By Pastor Mensa Otabil​_

Sunday 28th June 2026

*Scripture Reading:* Joel 2:20-24

*A GREAT DELIVERANCE*

_“But I will remove far from you the northern army, And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land, With his face toward the eastern sea And his back toward the western sea; His stench will come up, And his foul odor will rise, Because he has done monstrous things.” *Joel 2:20*_

The God who is able to restore is also able to remove. The Lord promised to restore grains to Israel. In addition, He promised to remove the enemy from their land.

God will restore peace and national security. The northern army is not identified by Scripture. It could be applied to the locusts which had flown in from the north to devastate Israel’s land or an army from a nation north of Israel. Whatever the ‘northern army’ was, the Lord promised to remove them.

• *God will remove those who have oppressed you.* The oppressor is any situation or condition that presses you down and denies you of your liberty in Christ. The Lord promises to dethrone every force that presses us down and give us liberty.

• *God will remove those who stole from you.* The army of locusts that invaded Israel stole the products of their farms from them. The Lord promised to expose and remove every system or person that siphons our resources.

• *God will remove those who fight against you.* In addition to the locusts that invaded Israel, there was a physical army that threatened to come against them. The Lord promises to remove every army that is poised against us.

May God restore to you what has been lost and remove the things that have risen up to oppose you.

_*Prayer*: Heavenly Father, remove every thief and destroyer from our lives and properties. I declare victory. In Jesus’ name, Amen._

*LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL*
_By Pastor Mensa Otabil​_

Friday 26th June 2026

*Scripture Reading:* Joel 2:15-18

*SET YOURSELF APART*

_Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, And the bride from her dressing room. *Joel 2:16*_

In a consecrated public fast, God calls all the community to participate. In a private fast, what we do is only related to us as individuals.

Fasting is both a personal and collective activity. There are moments when individuals chose to set aside time to fast and seek God’s face either as an act of repentance or to deepen one’s relationship with God by setting time to wait on Him or a varied other reason. However, in the scriptures we also see that fasting is a corporate spiritual discipline that is undertaken by a group of people for a specific purpose.

The Lord instructed the leaders of Israel to sanctify the congregation: The word sanctify means to “set apart.”

• *The first thing we must set apart is our hearts.* That means we turn our hearts to the Lord and make Him our priority.

• *Secondly, we must set time apart for the Lord.* That means we must monitor how we use our time. We must make a concerted effort to block a period of time in the day for the Lord. At that time, we must give Him our full attention.

• *Thirdly, we must set our appetites apart.* That means we set our focus and affection on the Lord and this is done by avoiding everything that will serve as a distraction to us. It could be social media, sports, and other interests.

Fasting is for all. The Lord charged His people to “Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, And the bride from her dressing room.” The call was so intense and compelling. The Lord required everyone to commit to what He wanted them to do.

Let us maximize every moment during these forty days of prayer and fasting. Let us use this moment to reorder our priorities, sharpen our passion for God, renew our devotion to the Lord and develop new spiritual habits that will draw us closer to the Lord.

_*Prayer*: Heavenly Father, you are my heart’s desire. I set myself apart to do your will as I seek your face. In Jesus’ name, Amen._

40 Days of Power start today! 🔥🙏🏾
Join us as we wait upon the Almighty God! 🙏🏾

*LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL*
_By Pastor Mensa Otabil_

Thursday 25th June 2026

*A TIME OF CONSECRATION*

*Scripture Reading:* Joel 2:1-16

> _Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, And the bride from her dressing room. *Joel 2:15–16*_

Welcome to the First Day of our 40 Days of Power

Joel was one of the Prophets who prophesied in the period after Israel had been sent into Exile. At a time of natural stress, the Lord instructed Joel to call for a fast among Judah.

- *Blow the trumpet:* The fast was announced by a trumpet. That means it's a public fast; not a private one. In ancient Israel, the trumpet played a role similar to that of the talking drums in some African communities. The various sounds of the trumpet were used to make public announcements. Today, we use other means of public announcement to call for a public fast.

- *Consecrate a fast:* To consecrate means to sanctify and dedicate oneself to something. In these forty days, we are dedicating ourselves to the Lord. We have had the freedom to eat since the beginning of the year; now, let us set aside these forty days to wait on the Lord.

- *Call a sacred assembly:* A sacred assembly is a gathering of believers to dedicate themselves to God. That means it was a corporate fast not a personal one. It included the elders, children, babies, bridegrooms, brides and priests.

Today, we also consecrate a fast of 40 days to the Lord. Like the fast in the book of Joel, it is a consecrated fast. Today is the first day of our spiritual journey. We commit ourselves to seeking the face of the Lord and being conscious of His presence.

As we seek the Lord, He will hear us. The Lord will turn His face towards us. He will pay attention to our prayers.

The Lord will renew us by His Spirit. He will guide us. If you are lost, He will show you the way.

The Lord will open doors for us. He will bring us into an enlarged place.

The Lord will fight for us. He is your Man of War. He will give us victory and cause us to triumph.

*Prayer:* _Heavenly Father, I consecrate myself to wait on you. Let your Holy Spirit lead me as I seek your face. In Jesus’ name, *Amen.*_